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An Introduction to the HELIOS Technology Challenge Pilot Program

As NASA renews its commitment to deep space exploration, new ways must be sought out to make the process of developing required technologies more cost-effective. Recognizing the valuable problem solving potential that exists in the American public, the HELIOS Technology Challenge Pilot Program was created in 2012 by a small group of NASA employees as an experiment in collaboration. HELIOS stands for Hardware Engineering Launchpad Inspired by Open Source. The principal goal of this low-cost, no-frills project is to promote cost-effective innovation and collaboration with the public in the development of open source-friendly, early stage concept-type technology.

Inaugural HELIOS Technology Challenge

The inaugural HELIOS Technology Challenge is titled HTC-01 Cost-Effective Additive Manufacturing in Space and has three major objectives: the development of cost-effective and innovative ways of recycling in-space consumables, such as astronaut food packaging, into 3D printing media; the solving of particular hardware design challenges associated with performing rapid prototyping in a 0g environment; and the development of in-space applications for additive manufacturing in space.